1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for protecting an electrical component from impact or repeated mechanical stress. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for mounting a component on a printed circuit board while protecting the component from mechanical stress and allowing the electrical connections with the printed circuit board to be redistributed.
2. Background Information
Surface mounted electrical components generally allow printed circuit boards to contain more circuitry per unit area than through-hole mounted electrical components. As a result, surfaced mounted components are typically used in applications requiring small and more densely populated printed circuit boards.
Because of their superior mechanical strength, however, some through-hole mounted electrical components are used even on small and densely populated printed circuit boards. These through-hole mounted electrical components can include but are not limited to switches, connectors, displays, fans, transmitters, receivers, transformers, or light emitting diodes (LEDs).
Mounting a through-hole electrical component on a small printed circuit board mainly populated with surface mounted electrical components is a significant design challenge. Because of their relatively larger size, the connector pins of the through-hole electrical component must be moved farther away from surface mounted components. Moving the surface mounted components farther away from the through-hole electrical component increases the overall printed circuit board area and, therefore, its cost.
In addition, some surface mounted electrical components and even through-hole electrical components are subjected to such significant impacts or so much repeated mechanical stress that their soldering joints cannot provide enough support. In this case, custom made brackets of plastic or metal are typically used to further secure these electrical components to the printed circuit board. Such custom made brackets require extra tooling, can take up even more space on the printed circuit board, and increase the overall cost of the printed circuit board.
In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a substantial need exists for systems and methods that can allow an electrical component to be mounted on a printed circuit board while protecting the component from mechanical stress and allowing the electrical connections of the electrical component with the printed circuit board to be redistributed.